A Magical Rivalry
by Anusmita
Summary: Everybody knew that Kagura and Okita Sougo were the most quarrelsome pair of rivals ever. Everybody also knew that their weird relationship was not all that it seemed. After all, cliched as it may sound, the line between love and hate is but extremely thin... An Okikagu story, set in a Harry Potter AU. Read and enjoy! COMPLETED.
1. Chapter 1

**A Magical Rivalry**

 **A/N: Hey, I'm back! I'm really so sorry for not posting anything for such a long while, so here's a chapter fic! And well, feel free to call me crazy, because this time it's an Okikagu fic set in a Harry Potter AU. Heck, even I thought I was crazy when I began to write this, but I actually found it rather fun! I guess almost everyone here has read Harry Potter, so I devoutly hope I'm doing justice to both Harry Potter and Gintama. Anyway, enough with my airy blabbering, and onto the story!**

 **Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own either Harry Potter or Gintama. I wonder why I have to write this down….**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Thick grey smoke spewed out of the Potions classroom, along with the disgusting odor of rotten eggs and the acrid smell of something burning. Al the students had run outside in panic, their clothes splattered with acidic green goop. Their faces displayed annoyance, anger and strangely, resignation. After all, this was quite a common occurrence whenever Gryffindor and Slytherin ever shared any class together. _Especially_ when those two were present in the classes.

'Those two' being a red haired girl with bright azure eyes and a sandy haired boy with bored crimson eyes, who were being scolded severely by the teacher at the moment.

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TWO _NOT_ TO FIGHT IN THE CLASS?! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE NOW!"

"But Gin chan, it's this sadistic jerk who started it, not me! He called me a pig! And he was the one who dropped the Filibuster fireworks into my potion!"

"Oi, China brat, that was only after you dumped leeches into mine! And besides, it's the truth anyway, so why are you so upset?"

"WHY YOU-"

" **BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP! YOU'RE BOTH EQUALLY AT FAULT FOR DESTROYING MY** _ **JUMP!"**_

"I can't believe an adult like you even reads _Jump,_ Danna. Be ashamed."

"I hate to say it, but I do agree with the Sadist on this one, Gin chan. Do some productive work once in your life, uh huh."

" **THAT'S IT! BOTH OF YOU, AT MY OFFICE,** _ **NOW!"**_

"Excuse me, Gin san, but I think you're focusing on the wrong issue here…"

"Shut up, Glasses, before I dock fifty points from Hufflepuff. And you two, don't smirk; hundred points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin for ruining my _Jump_ , and ah, for ruining the classroom, fighting, etc. Now come before I make it any higher!"

Shinpachi sighed as he looked at them go, wondering how the hell was he ever going to pass the fourth year if Kagura and Sougo wrecked havoc in every class they took together. Worse, their lazy silver haired teacher hardly ever bothered stopping them, not unless his beloved _Jump_ or strawberry milk was in danger. He sighed again. Being the only sensible person in a bunch of idiots was definitely _hard._

* * *

Soon enough, it was time for lunch. Hundreds of students milled into the Great Hall, chattering and laughing loudly. The plates were heaped with delicious food and for a while, all talk ceased as everyone dug in. At the Gryffindor table, Kagura was eating enough for five, even as the first years watched on with amazement. Beside her sat Tae and Kyubei, who were talking merrily about clothes and curses. Further down, an enraged Hijikata could be heard yelling at Sougo, who had apparently cursed his mayonnaise bottle so that only soy sauce came out. Sougo himself sat at the Slytherin table, giving a lesson on sadism as he ate, while Imai Nobume gave a practical demonstration to anyone who touched her precious doughnuts. Shinpachi ate at the Hufflepuff table, restraining himself from punching the raving gorilla, aka, Kondo, sitting beside him and fantasizing about his sweetheart. The Ravenclaw table mostly consisted of girls, who were a lot less rowdy than the rest. Tsukuyo maintained order at the table as she calmly chatted with her group of friends, who were nicknamed 'The thousand blossoms'.

The teachers' table too was far from any model of order, with Potions master Gintoki reading _Jump_ and delivering a loud commentary on each page, Charms master Hinowa levitating sauces as she tried to get the perfect combination for her child's favorite dish, Defense teacher Matsudaira fingering a cannon and a barrel of wine and Transfiguration master Katsura, or rather, Zura, singing with his duck Elizabeth. Sakamoto, who taught Care of Magical Creatures, was presently thumping the Headmaster, Shige Shige on the back, the latter apparently having choked on a bone. In other words, the Great Hall was simply like a gigantic, noisy, but quite cheerful fish market, minus the smell and the fish.

At the Gryffindor table, Kagura had just launched into a tirade about Sougo, Tae listening patiently to her 'little sister' blowing of steam.

"Would you believe it, Anego, that jerk dared to call me a gluttonous pig in Potions! Then he even dropped freaking firecrackers into my potion, and I had been toiling for a whole hour to make that, uh huh! Then Gin chan gave me detention for a whole month, just because of that goddamned Sadist! Now I'm gonna have to help him with all his overdue work, that lazy sugar addict! I hate the guy, I hate him, I hate him, hate him!"

"My my, Kagura chan, that's a lot of hate. But consider it; you're never bored in Gin san's class because you keep arguing with Okita kun, ne? That's a good point right?"

"Maybe, I guess so… But that doesn't change the fact that he's an insufferable sadist, uh huh!"

"Hmm, I rather wonder about the 'insufferable' part…"

* * *

Later that night, after dinner, Kagura trudged down to the staffroom for her detention. She could only imagine how much paperwork would be piled up, seeing how lazy the silver perm was…. Cursing Sougo under her breath, she kicked open the door to see Gin reading _Jump_ with his legs propped up against the table, three desks chock full with various documents and magazines, which were presently being sorted by the very boy she had just been cursing.

Kagura nearly dropped her wand in horror, before turning to Gin and yelling, "Gin chan, why is this jerk here, yes? I do _not_ want to even see him right now, uh huh, forget doing detention with him!"

"At least I'm good looking, China. You think _I_ wanted to waste a month with an ugly, foul mouthed brat like you?"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME, YOU SADIST?! I'm gonna kill you by throwing you to the Giant Squid, turning you into a worm and squishing you…." She stopped at this point to conjure up a few more innovative threats, and besides, she was quite out of breath too.

"I can probably think of worse tortures than those, China. How about being roasted in a pile of sukonbu or wandering without a wand into the Forbidden Forest…"

"You sadist, don't insult sukonbu!"

 _ **WHACK!**_

Kagura and Sougo cowered as Gin brandished his rolled up magazine over their heads, a number of veins popping on his face.

" **YOU TWO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING, NOT INSULTING EACH OTHER! WHAT IS THE FRIGGIN' POINT OF DETENTION LIKE THIS, HUH? IF I HEAR ONE MORE WORD FROM EITHER OF YOU, YOU'RE GOING TO BE SCRUBBING THE ENTIRE TROPHY ROOM,** _ **WITHOUT MAGIC, FOR A YEAR!**_ **NOW BE QUIET AND GET TO WORK; I NEED TO SUBMIT ALL THESE AT THE END OF THE MONTH!"**

Sougo gulped unwillingly as he grabbed the nearest bunch and set about sorting it. Beside him, Kagura did the same, in double quick time; she hated scrubbing even more than paperwork. It was one of those rare occasions where they had a silent agreement to obey Gin; the last time it had happened was three years ago.

For an hour, everything hummed on as usual, as Gin browsed through magazines and the duo filed away the paperwork. But the usual was also extremely boring for Sougo. So he sneaked a look at Gin, and after verifying that his teacher was now deep in another world, he hissed at Kagura, "Hey, just how slow are you?"

The girl's eyes flashed dangerously, but she only stuck her tongue at him, striving to make the childish gesture as rude as possible. He smirked at that, mouthing another choice insult at her. Soon, before he knew it, the papers he was arranging were back in the mess and Kagura's wand was stuffed back up her sleeve.

They glared at each other, barely restraining themselves from dueling, before Kagura had an idea. She whispered to him, "Oi Sadist, how about we make this a competition, yes? Dragging this chore out just will be horrible, yep."

"Why would I even want to compete with you in something as worthless as this, China?"

"So you are scared of losing in _something as worthless as this,_ yes? I knew-"

"Who do you think you're talking to, China? I can finish that entire pile tonight, even though it would probably take _you_ an entire year!"

"Then it's a showdown!"

* * *

Half an hour later, Gin reckoned that he was hallucinating as he observed the amount of work the pair had go done. _Seems like I'm really diabetic now…. But does diabetes even cause hallucinations? But there's no way this is reality, I'm not going to believe those two are seriously handling this goddamned trash with such zeal. Oh well, I've seen weirder things…. Looks like I won't be scolded for failing to submit paperwork this year. The look on Zura's face…. Ah, the guy might even have a heart attack!_

Grinning evilly, Gin finally dismissed Sougo and Kagura, who were also half asleep by then, and sent them off, lazily reminding them to come the next evening as well.

* * *

 **A/N: So there ends the first chapter! I think this story's gonna be like, five chapters long or so, but honestly, I never know…. Still, I really hope that you enjoyed it, if not, I'll try my best to improve in the next chapter. If there are any corrections regarding the story, like, errors I might have made in description, or factual mistakes, feel free to point them out, through a PM or a review! And questions regarding the characters and their houses, etc, are very much welcome too!**

 **Also, I think I should mention that school starts next Wednesday for me, so there might be delays in posting chapters, but I'll definitely try to best to be on time. So if I'm late, you'll really be doing me a favor if you PM me and give a stern reminder to stick to my words!**

 **So please do take some time out to review, your response totally makes my day! As ever, favorites, constructive criticism and anything else are very, very, much appreciated!**

 **Thank you very much for reading! See you in the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A Magical Rivalry**

 **Chapter 2**

 **A/N: Honestly, I was really overwhelmed with the amazing response to this story! I keep feeling that I hardly deserve all the wonderful support I get… Well, here are a few lines of gratitude to the kind people who reviewed.**

 **Madame Spectre: Thank you too for reading and reviewing! I'm real glad that this satisfied your wish, I hope you enjoy this chapter too! And hey, call me Anu, Author san sounds way too formal, tee hee…**

 **ShiroNeko: Glad to know that you love Okikagu in the Harry potter universe! Thank you for your review, and I hope this chapter pleases you too! I too, am super excited to write more!**

 **daslevfka: I'm so happy that you loved this crazy idea of mine! I hope this chapter too meets your expectations, and that I didn't make you wait for too long! Enjoy reading!**

 **anikkajen: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you appreciated the idea. Feel free to ask whatever questions that come to you, I'll try my best to answer them! Hope this chapter meets the mark, and that you like reading it!**

 **Readeren: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I promise I'll try my best to do justice to the story! Hope you find this chapter enjoyable too! I didn't make you wait for too long, did I? At least, I hope not…**

 **C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Cool username! I hope you like this GintamaHarry potter crossover, now that it's begun! Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you like the new chapter!**

 **Hirude: Thanks for reviewing, it's great to hear from you again! I'm so delighted that you like this unique mixture I'm cooking up! I was really relieved to know that my writing hasn't rusted or got stuck, since I haven't written for a long time, and I only write on the spur of the moment. And I agree about Zura too, he's definitely the one of the most passionate and dedicated guys ever! Hope you like this chapter too, and enjoy reading!**

 **Now, onto the story!**

* * *

Kagura tossed about in bed as she tried to shut out the noises coming from the girls' dorm. It had been beyond midnight when she had finally fallen asleep. She really wanted to sleep in the whole day, but sadly, she had classes. No matter how sweet Hinowa looked, you definitely did _not_ want to be late for her class. Which was why Kagura sleep-walked out of bed, did her chores and joined Tae and Kyubei in going down to the Great Hall. Tae looked at her with slight concern, asking her, "Kagura chan, did you not sleep enough? You must have come back really late last night…"

"Uh huh…."

"Is that sugar addict making you something very tiring? Do you want me to ah, go **talk** to him? I'll soon right him …." Tae cracked her knuckles, still smiling as sweetly as ever. Kagura shook her head, yawning; she didn't dislike Gin enough to do that. After all, she knew just how deadly her Anego could be. Besides, truth to be said, it wasn't too bad working with the Sadist…

 _Huh? What did I just think? There's no way I'd ever stand being with him, uh huh…. I guess it's just the sleep messing with my mind… Just a few more minutes until I can get my hands on the food… Fooooood…_

Drooling a little at the thought of a delicious breakfast, Kagura hurried down, her drowsiness gradually vanishing at the scent of food. Tae and Kyubei followed her more slowly with indulgent smiles.

The Hall was as chaotic as ever, and breakfast passed without any notable incidents. Unless, of course, you included Sougo's attempt to poison Hijikata by slipping belladonna into his coffee, or Sachan enchanting a bottle of love potion to pour itself into Gin's strawberry milk, only to have it fall on Yamazaki, or Tae pulverizing Kondo to a pulp when he tried to sit beside her and Zura and Elizabeth executing a tap dance at the teacher's table. But then, all that was perfectly normal, so no one really counted them as 'notable' events.

After satisfying the vast demands of her tummy, Kagura headed off to Charms, which the Gryffindors were sharing with the Ravenclaws. She was quite glad for it too; it meant she could chat with Soyo and for once, not get into a fight.

That day, they were learning about Silencing charms. Hinowa had them working in pairs, with a raven or frog in front of them; they had to temporarily mute the creature without harming it, and then reverse the effects of the spell as well. Kagura, to her delight was paired with Soyo. However, her delight soon began to dissipate when they began the charm.

No matter how many times she yelled, snapped or whispered, " _Silencio";_ it had no effect on the frog, who kept croaking as loudly as ever. It also did not help that Soyo had somehow managed to silence her raven and was now looking worried about her friend's increasing frustration and lack of progress. Kagura felt her temper going out of control when she just happened to glance at the window. The Slytherins stood there, apparently attending a Care of Magical Creatures class. She could make out Zura pacing up and down as he enumerated the qualities of a magical creature, gesturing energetically.

Suddenly, one of them turned back, his eyes streaking up to the open window of the Charms classroom. Kagura felt her heartbeat accelerate as she caught Sougo's eyes. However, the flustered feeling was soon replaced by fury when she saw him mouth, "Stupid…" She was just about to shoot a few choice hexes out of the window when Soyo grabbed her shoulders, and made her face the frog with a grin.

"Kagura chan, I've just had a great idea! Look at the frog, and imagine that it's someone whose mouth you need to shut, _now._ Concentrate and focus on casting that charm, I'm sure you can do it!"

The red haired girl immediately thought of the sandy haired sadist; God, how she longed to smash his face and shut him up….She focused on the frog. She was surprised to notice that its jeweled eyes were of the same color as those of the sadist. _Well, that makes it easier… 1, 2, 3, "_ SILENCIO!"

This time, it worked perfectly. The frog opened its mouth, but no sound came out. Kagura and Soyo squealed with relief, high fiving each other happily. Kagura happily turned her face to the window, just to stick her tongue out at the Sadist and prove that she was far from stupid, but she had to turn back and grab her quill as Hinowa began to speak.

At the same time, on the grounds, Sougo turned back just in time to avoid getting a peck from Elizabeth, who was trying to ensure that everyone was listening. A faint smile spread on his lips, though he himself was unaware of it, as he caught a last glimpse of Kagura's delighted grin from the window.

* * *

After lunch, and another failed attempt to assassinate Hijikata, Sougo headed towards the Defense Against The Dark Arts classroom. It was about the only class he bothered coming to early, because the teacher, Matsudaira enjoyed aiming his cannon at anyone who came late, with countdown till three as prior warning, even though all he counted was one. Thus, there was enough incentive to discourage even Sougo from coming late.

The Slytherins shared the class with the Gryffindors, which made the class quite prone to destruction, but given the teacher's tendencies of firing flaming projectiles, no one really thought of it as the matter of primary concern.

Today was hardly different than usual, as the temperamental old man marched into the room, and told the students without any prior warning, that they were going to be casting Patronus charms that day. But the greatest shock was when he briskly told them that they would be practicing against a _real_ Dementor. Everyone's faces went pale with terror; they all knew the horrors a Dementor could inflict on a person. It could take away every happy feeling from them, and even suck out the soul and just leave a pitiful, hollow shell behind. Thus, there was almost a stampede when Matsudaira offered a chance to leave to those who wanted it.

Kagura really wanted to leave too, but the moment she noticed that the Sadist hadn't left his seat, she decided against it. She was _not_ going to let him call her a coward and boast about his superiority. To her relief, Nobume too stayed back, looking as expressionless as ever. They listened as Matsudaira lectured them on the procedure of summoning a Patronus and the importance of keeping a level head, etc.

For once, Sougo listened carefully, but soon, he let his thoughts drift. _Happy experiences… I wonder which would be the most joyful one… Knocking Hijikata off his broom in Quidditch? Tricking Megane into eating cockroach flavored jelly beans? But the look on China's face when I beat her in dueling? Yeah, that's the most satisfactory experience I've ever had…. Hey, I seem to be thinking about that brat a lot nowadays… I wonder if I'm gonna be sick or what…_

Sougo was jerked back to attention as Matsudaira levitated a cupboard to the center of the classroom, after rearranging the desks with a wave of his wand. Besides him, Kagura and Nobume pulled out their wands, their lips pursed as they waited for the horror inside the cupboard to emerge. Sougo pulled out his wand too, softly reciting the words of the spell under his breath to memorize them. All of them tensed as Matsudaira counted one, before pulling the cupboard open.

Kagura shivered as she felt the temperature drop by a few degrees. The atmosphere suddenly seemed to be filled with gloom and darkness, crushing down her lungs…. Kagura shook her head and tried to recall her happiest memories; Winning the House trophy in her first year…. Listening to her mother narrate stories to her and her brother when they were little kids…. Dropping a Leaping Toadstool down Sougo's robes…

Nobume watched impassively as the black, hooded creature emerged from the depths of the cupboard. Instantly, her worst memories resurfaced; her childhood in the orphanage, the cruelty of the people who forced her to steal for them, the faces of bullies and many more. But she wasn't going to think of them, or feel the pain anymore. The only thing she allowed in her thoughts was the bliss she experienced on eating the last crumb of a chocolate topped doughnut, her fingers sticky and sweet, the taste of chocolate and sugar filling her taste buds and the slightly ticklishness of the bread crumbs. It was always one of her most pleasant memories ever…

As the Dementor slowly approached them, Matsudaira called out, "WELL, WHAT ARE YOU BRATS WAITING FOR?! USE THE FRIGGIN' SPELL!"

As a knee jerk reaction to the yell, as well as their survival instinct, all of them yelled, _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!_ " Three animals, seemingly made of pure light, burst out of the tips of their wands. Nobume's Patronus was a crow, though it was as handsome as any eagle. Sougo's was a rabbit, much to his dismay, because, really, how could the Prince of sadists have a _rabbit_ as his Patronus? Kagura's was a giant dog, which still looked adorable, unless it happened to be glaring at you.

But before they could admire their patronuses, the forms of light shimmered and vanished, even as the Dementor continued to advance on them. Terror danced in their eyes, and they looked like they were about to collapse. Just then, Matsudaira raised his wand, shouting, "Riddiculus!", turning the 'Dementor' into a cockroach before crushing it under his foot. His students stared at him, even Nobume had a look of utter astonishment on her usually dead pan face.

Sougo was the first to speak. "Old geezer, how the heck did you even do that?"

"What? Don't look so surprised; it was only a Boggart. Ya really thought I'd bring a live Dementor? The minister of Magic would skin me alive if I did, ahaha! Still, not bad, but ye can improve! Now go off to your next class!"

And he walked out, still laughing, leaving them standing like statues in the middle of the room. Finally, Kagura voiced what all of them were thinking, "I think we need a spell to banish him, yes?"

"It would be beyond fourth year level even if we found one, China brat. I'm pretty sure it would take _you_ three years to master it, though."

"What did you say, Sadist? I'll learn it in a day! And I'm gonna banish you too then, uh huh."

Sougo was about to retort as Nobume cut in, "When the Boggart approached you, what did you try to concentrate on? I'm a little curious to know."

Kagura grinned, "I thought of how funny this extreme Sadist became when I dropped a Leaping Toadstool down his robes during Herbology last year! You should have seen him, Nobutasu, he looked like a frog hopping about, yup!"

Sougo snapped, looking highly annoyed at the recollection, "That was nothing in comparison to how _you_ reacted when I beat you in dueling and the final exams!" He added in a tone of amusement, "You looked like you were going to faint, your eyes were as big as saucers and you spent an entire hour walking up and down, muttering that the whole incident had to be a nightmare. Remember, China?"

"T-That was a year ago! I swear I'll totally kick your ass this time, you Sadist!"

As the duo began yet another argument, Nobume walked on quietly behind them, a faint smile hovering on her lips. The smile only widened as Kagura grabbed her hand and dragged her over to chat with Soyo in the corridor, Sougo heading off to the Slytherin common room to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: So there ends the second chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it, if not, I'll definitely try my best to improve! If there are any corrections regarding the story, like, errors I might have made in description, or factual mistakes, feel free to point them out, through a PM or a review! And questions regarding the characters and their houses, etc, are very much welcome too!**

 **A huge thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story! This time too please take some time out to review, your response totally makes my day! As ever, favorites, constructive criticism and anything else are very, very, much appreciated!**

 **Thank you very much for reading! See you in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A Magical Rivalry**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Shironeko: Thanks for reviewing so early, your review was really happy surprise for me! I'm glad you liked the part about the window, I found it really adorable too. And yeah, Sougo's Patronus is a rabbit because Yato means rabbit, and also because he's quite close to a certain rabbit XD. Also the first animal that I thought of while choosing Kagura's Patronus was Sadaharu, so I guess he is her guardian. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter; enjoy reading!**

 **daslevfka: Thank you for reviewing! I'm honestly relieved to hear that you found the chapter funny, I'm always nervous about it XD. And yup, those two are totally clueless, but then, it's the realization that's the most fun, isn't it? I hope you like this chapter too, please have fun reading!**

 **C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Hello there! Thanks for reviewing! Now, about your question; I guess the Ministry would have wanted to punish Gin and all the others since a long, long time, because they are probably the most 'unique' teachers ever, but it hasn't because of Shige Shige's influence and also because the teachers might have the support of the magical community. I hope this answers the question, and that you like the new chapter too. Enjoy reading!**

 **Hirude: Thanks for reviewing! I loved the way you described those two as blind, lovable fools, they really fit the description! Well, they'll be becoming a bit wiser this chapter, just a teensy weensy bit, and I hope you'll have fun reading it!**

 **Readeren: Thanks for reviewing! Yes, Kagura and Sougo do frequently mention that they care for and think of each other, but only in a different way that involves a lot of fighting and shouting, XD. I hope you like this chapter too, and that I didn't make you wait too long, even though you did assure me that it didn't matter. Enjoy reading!**

 **Tsukitaiyoo: Thank you, thank you so much! I'm so delighted you described this story as amazing, I was practically bouncing up and down for half an hour! I'm sorry for updating a little late, but I hope you find this chapter fun too! Enjoy reading!**

 **Brieanna-c: Thank you so much for both the reviews! I'm really pleased that you appreciate the story and find it interesting! Thanks too, for pointing out the error, I'll correct it at once. It would really make me very happy if you were to read my other stories too! I hope you like this chapter too; enjoy reading!**

 **Now, onto the story!**

* * *

It was dinnertime at the Great Hall, and the younger students were slowly trickling out of the hall, since there was a limit to how long they could stay up. The Slytherin table was almost empty, with only a few wizards eating fourth helpings of the delicious cooking. Sougo poured Tabasco sauce all over his potatoes, lazily contemplating possibilities. He really did not want to do detention till midnight with Gin, and he had had enough of boring documents and technical language. He wondered whether he could quietly slip off to the common room and go to sleep; after all, was there any guarantee that Gin would remember? On the other hand, though, he was pretty sure that China would murder him if she had to do detention alone. Not that he would ever say it loud, but her punches hurt even more than her jinxes, which hurt a lot as well…

"Oi, Sadist, why are you drowning your food in that yucky sauce? Hey, stop spacing out, I'm talking to you, you jerk!"

"How rude you are, China. Were you brought up in a tavern? Didn't your parents teach you better than insulting people while they eat?"

" **Say what?! Do you really have a death wish, yes?"**

"Kagura, it would be problematic if you killed him here; then you'd have to suffer detention all by yourself." Nobume calmly advised her friend, in a tone that would normally used to discuss weather or shop for groceries.

"You're right, Nobutasu! It's so boring, sorting all those files… Hey Sadist, you, by any chance, weren't thinking of running off, were you?"

"And why ever would I do that?"

"Because we have a competition on, uh huh! So if you don't come, it's obvious that you're scared of losing to me, yes?"

"Like hell I am! Goddammit, China, let's just get going."

Kagura smirked in satisfaction as Sougo walked off in a huff. She waved briefly to Nobume, before following him towards the teachers' offices. For once, they walked in silence, without too many arguments and no destroyed objects, till they reached Gin's room. The silver haired teacher was engrossed in his _Jump_ as usual, and even seemed mildly surprised to see them come in. Sougo cursed mentally, he shouldn't even have bothered to come, they wouldn't have been missed, and he could have already gone to sleep. But then, he had come, so he had no choice but to start sorting those stupid documents.

Both he and Kagura grabbed a sheaf of parchment each, and began to compete in organizing it as quick as they could. Though she would never admit it, Kagura was rather glad about it; she could never have dragged herself through this much paperwork without the sense of rivalry she and Sougo shared. _I guess Anego was right, uh huh. It's never boring when the Sadist is around…. But it's not that I like him or anything, even though Soyo chan thinks so, it's just that I get so annoyed at him that I don't have the time to get bored, uh huh. No, it's_ _ **definitely**_ _ **not**_ _because I like him or anything like that, uh huh. Oi, why ever am I even trying to justify this to myself? Maybe because I feel sooo sleepy…._

She rubbed her eyes tiredly, wondering if it wouldn't be better to ask Gin chan to let her go sleep. The Patronus charm had been really draining…. But leaving would mean losing to her rival, who was still working on. So, as ever, the desire to win overcame her other objections and she continued her work stubbornly.

Meanwhile, Sougo continued doodling pictures of Hijikata dying a painful death on the scrolls, making it look like he was working, while in reality, it was all he could do not to nod off. He shot a glare at the red haired girl reading with seemingly single minded focus beside him.

 _Oi, China, just how long are you gonna stick to this donkey work? Hell, I really wanna go sleep… But I'm not budging an inch till you do, China, so don't think you're going to win at this._

Kagura had been reading a single line for the past five minutes, without even grasping the gist of what it signified. All she could think of was her cozy four poster bed, her gold trimmed blankets and soft pillows, and most importantly, how wonderful it would be to just sink into them and sleep for a nice, long while….. The longer she contemplated it, the more annoyed she was by the stack of parchment in front of her. It was all she could do not to chuck them into the fire or at Gin's annoying face or out of the window or, well, you get the idea.

 _Hell, I'm so sick of this! Damn that Sadist, he must be enjoying keeping me up this late, uh huh. Oh, I'm so gonna punch him if I'm late for class tomorrow….Gin chan, I beg of you, please let us go now…. I'll even stop teasing you about shirking your work again…_

Gin looked up briefly from his magazine, wondering vaguely why the atmosphere was filled with such tension. But he soon returned to the world of the comic, as the fate of the blonde hero struck him as being more important at that moment, and besides, sparks always flew when those two were in a room for more than two minutes. A little tension wasn't much to worry about.

After half an hour, a thump caught Gin's attention again. Kagura had fallen fast asleep at the table; the sound had been caused by her head hitting the table. Gin glanced at the clock, startled to notice that it was already well past midnight. Indeed, the comic had been so interesting that he hadn't even noticed the time fly by… Feeling slightly guilty, he walked over to Kagura and tried to poke her awake. Not that he really expected any result; once Kagura fell asleep, nothing short of an earthquake or the scent of a ten course meal would wake her up.

"Oi, Sofa kun, that's enough for today. Now take her to the Gryffindor common rooms and get her to wake up enough to use the password and go to her dormitory. If she doesn't wake up, well, you can just work something out. Off you go, and by the way, you both can take a break tomorrow."

"Danna, for the last time, it's Sougo, not Sofa, and how the heck do you expect me to take her to-"

"Just carry her, brat. Now, be off, you've still got a full day of class tomorrow."

Sougo glared at his teacher in resignation before picking Kagura up. He considered carrying her over his shoulder, but eventually settled for carrying her in his arms. His face flushed as he considered how many stories the ghosts would start running through the rumor mill, but then, he hardly had any choice.

Instead of heading to the Gryffindor wing, Sougo directed his steps towards the Slytherin dungeons. He was too tired to go to all the trouble of heading there, and moreover, to listen to the comments of the Fat Lady andher friend Violet. On top of that, it was also quite dangerous to wake Kagura up. Sougo felt it quite unnecessary to take the risk in such an uncertain situation. Besides, he could always leave her in the girls' dorm with Nobume.

Thankfully, he encountered no ghosts or poltergeists on the way to the common rooms. On entering, he began to ascend the steps that led to the girls' dormitory. He hadn't even got halfway through before the steps melted to a smooth silver slide, sending him and the sleeping girl crashing back down.

Sougo cursed volubly under his breath; he had forgotten, in his exhaustion, that boys weren't allowed to enter the girls' dorm. His breath hitched as he suddenly noticed how close he and Kagura were. She was still fast asleep, her head lying on his chest, and her arms wrapped snugly around his neck. For a moment, Sougo felt the world slow down around him as he noted how calm and sweet she looked when she wasn't yelling at him, how her hair was framed her face, how pale her skin was….

Sougo caught himself immediately, stunned at what he had just been thinking. _It must be the after effects of paperwork…_ _no way I'd ever think of China as cute…_

He shook his head again, as he carried the girl upstairs to the boys' dorm. A sadistic grin spread on his face as he imagined the look on his rival's face when she woke up and saw where she was. Well, if he didn't die in twelve hours, this was going to be fun.

* * *

 **A/N: Here ends the third chapter! I hope you had fun reading, if not, I'll definitely try to improve! Sorry for updating a little late, I hope I can update the coming chapters sooner. If there are any corrections regarding the story, like, errors I might have made in description, or factual mistakes, feel free to point them out, through a PM or a review! And questions regarding the characters and the settings are very much welcome too!**

 **A huge thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story! This time too please take some time out to review, your response totally makes my day! As ever, favorites, constructive criticism and anything else are very, very, much appreciated!**

 **Thank you very much for reading! See you in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A Magical Rivalry**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Hirude: Hello there and thanks again for reviewing! Yeah, I know the Slytherin common room is under the lake, so well, it's not the best place to rage in…. But don't worry, there won't be any fatalities, tee hee. But there will be a** _ **lot**_ **of other problems… Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Readeren: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm so glad that you liked the chapter! And as for your question, Sougo does have room mates, though they don't know about Kagura yet. Still, I hope this chapter answers your questions and is an enjoyable read!**

 **Brieanna-c: Thanks so so much for all your reviews, they really made squeal with happiness! I hope you enjoy this chapter too, enjoy reading!**

 **chantal027: Thanks for that really detailed review! I'm so happy to know that you love this story! And there's no need at all for you to worry about being nettlesome, I really do appreciate your feedback! I hope I've improved in this chapter and thank you very much for your suggestion too! Sorry for updating a little late, but I hope you enjoy reading!**

 **Guest: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm sorry for leaving you in suspense, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. Thank you again for your kind words; I'll definitely try to do justice to them! Enjoy reading!**

 **ShiroNeko: Thank you for reviewing! Yeah, boys aren't allowed in the girls' dorms, but the opposite is true, because the founders of the houses apparently thought that girls were more trustworthy than boys….Well, that's another matter… But I hope you like this chapter too! Though it's a bit deficient in fluff….**

 **daslevfka: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm sorry that the last chapter was a bit short, and I guess I owe you a lot more apologies too, considering the delay in updating and all, but I hope you like this chapter! And yeah, time really does fly when reading manga… in fact, it was Gintama that taught me that! Well then, enjoy reading!**

 **C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Thanks for reviewing! And yeah, Okita really does have a death wish, and who knows, it might really be granted, tee hee. And about Kamui, my head canon is that he's completed his sixth year, but couldn't bother to complete his seventh year and is currently on a wild adventure as usual. But then, I'm diverging from the point again… Kamui would be in Slytherin, coz that perfectly suits him, doesn't it? Well, enjoy reading!**

 **Now then, onto the story!**

* * *

Kagura was having a lovely time, wandering about in a land where the tree were made of pickled seaweed, and clouds of cotton candy, the heaps around her were all the finest egg and rice and a sea of strawberry milk spread before her. Truly, it was even better than her idea of heaven. Except of course, the noise….

She could hear different voices yelling at each other, people moving about, even spells and curses…. _Why must boys be so noisy, yes? Wait…. Boys?_

Kagura jerked awake, the surprise strong enough to break the enchanting dreamland she had been in. She looked around in surprise, her first thought being that boys weren't even _allowed_ in the girls' dormitory, the second was a conclusion that Anego wasn't awake yet, which would explain the absence of terrified cries. It took her a moment to really notice her surroundings again. It was all she could do to stop herself from screaming when she noticed that she was in a _completely_ different dormitory, draped in silver and green, the colors of _Slytherin,_ which, by the sounds she had been hearing, was definitely a boys' dorm. Her consternation soon turned to pure, black fury when she noticed the boy sitting at the head of the bed, chuckling quietly in sadistic pleasure.

Sougo had been enjoying the events till then, laughing under his breath as he watched Kagura's expression change from sleepy to surprised to confused to utterly baffled. That is, until it transformed into mad anger. He grabbed his wand in anticipation, involuntarily backing a few steps away as the girl pulled out her wand from her robes and pointed it at him.

" **Sadist, is there anything you need to say before I kill you, yes?"**

Begging for forgiveness or reasonable excuses might have been the most likely stuff to say, but what escaped Sougo's lips was, "You really look like a demon now…." Naturally, the effect was as bad as poking an awake, fire breathing dragon in the nostrils. It might even have been worse than that.

* * *

The chatter and bustle in the Slytherin common room abruptly ceased as a person went flying through the stairs of the dorm, crashing into the nearest chair. More surprise was to follow, as all the boys who were upstairs came dashing down, scrambling for cover. Reclining calmly in her chair, Kada merely raised an eyebrow in surprise; it had been a long time that she had seen a scene like this. The last time had been when the seventh year boys had dumped Nobume's doughnuts into the fireplace, as part of their routine of bullying first years. Well, it had been quite a memorable sight. However, Kada mused, as she watched the red haired girl leap down the stairs, tendrils of black aura curling around her feet, this was probably going to be far more dangerous than that. Though she did wonder why a girl from Gryffindor had been sleeping in the boys' dorm…

" _ **You besmirched my reputation, dragged my name through mud, made me the subject of every rumor mill in the school, caused me to become unmarriageable, and after all your deeds, you say I'm taking it too far, huh?"**_

"Wherever did you even learn all those words, China? And besides, I doubt anyone would really want to marry you, seeing how you truly are."

" _ **YOU SHITHOLE OF A SADIST, HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT? YOU'RE THE ONE THAT TOOK ADVANTAGE OF AN INNOCENT GIRL LIKE ME AND NOW YOU DARE TAUNT ME, HUH? I'M SO GOING TO-!"**_

"Kagura, why are you here? Is anything wrong? "

Nobume walked up to Kagura, still drowsy, but with curiosity gleaming in her eyes. As she began listening to Kagura's version of what had happened, Sougo knew, just _knew_ that he was dead. Well, at least, he reflected, it would be a quick and relatively painless death, compared to what would happen when Tae or Tsukuyo or Kagura's bald father found out.

* * *

As she listened, Nobume looked carefully at Kagura's face, noting the fury etched on it, along with… sadness and embarrassment? Well, she really didn't have a mind to step in if her friend just wanted to punish the person who had put her in quite a compromising position, but if he had somehow upset her…. Well, killing him would be her responsibility then. Moreover, the common room was slowly being filled with hushed whispers and murmurs, and Nobume had no difficulty in guessing why. She turned to Kagura, whose face was steadily reddening as some of the cruder and louder comments reached her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her out of the common room, dragging her to the Great Hall.

"Nobutasu, why-"

"We are going to be late for breakfast. Soyo Hime will be worried about us."

Kagura stopped protesting the moment she heard that; the last thing she wanted to do was trouble Soyo chan. She fell into step with Nobume, the anger on her face dissipating into sad bitterness.

"Ne, Nobutasu, did you hear what those jerks were saying, yes? That I actually _slept_ with that sadistic idiot, that I was his _girlfriend,_ that I was like a _monster_ … How the hell can they even think of such stuff, huh?!"

"Then is that why you are upset? That the whole school will soon be filled with rumors that are absolute junk, by people even more useless than that?"

"Uh huh…. But what makes me really upset isn't that, Nobutasu… It's the thought that the Sadist brought me there last night just to embarrass me like this, and not because he was worried about me or anything…. Huh? What the hell am I saying? He'd never worry about me, uh huh. That sadist is sure having fun now, yes?"

Kagura's voice trembled with anger, her fists clenched into tight balls. But her eyes were unusually sparkly, shining bright with unshed tears. She looked up in surprise as her friend muttered a charm under her breath, causing a shimmering silver form to burst out of her wand. Kagura stared in surprise as Nobume's Patronus, a large, handsome bird hovered around them. Its presence filled her with warmth, almost as if Nobume was trying to share her happiest memories with her to cheer her up. A small smile formed on her lips for the first time since the previous night, and it only widened as Soyo came rushing up to them as they entered the Great Hall and insisted that they eat with her at the Ravenclaw Table.

* * *

As they ate, Nobume calmly gave Soyo the gist of what had happened, but only after she had finished all the doughnuts on the table. Soyo gasped in distress when she heard about the rumors circulating throughout the school, her eyes immediately darting to the Slytherin Table, where a couple of boys were practically enacting what had happened. Everyone's stares flickered towards the three girls at the Ravenclaw Table, and the sheer number of murmurs kept on rising. Kagura looked like she couldn't take it anymore; Soyo looked like she was going to cry and Nobume felt like hexing every gossiper the moment she glanced at her friends' faces.

However, she had no need to do so, for everyone shut up the moment Tae stood up, smiling darkly, her hands twirling a wand and said," Now then, could you all please be quiet? It's hard for me to stay calm, you know, when you're talking so colorfully about my little sister."

The black aura spreading around her was soon felt at the teachers' table too. Gin looked distinctly guilty, Hinowa worried and everyone else plain scared.

The rest of breakfast seemingly passed in a blur. As soon as it was over, Kagura ran up to her Anego, followed by Soyo and Nobume. All of them had class, but at that moment, they truly couldn't care less about it. Kagura especially had no desire to be in a class surrounded by wild rumors, pointed fingers and the accompanying stares. She just stood blankly as she recalled Sougo's laughing face in the morning, her eyes prickling with tears all over again. Sure they were rivals, but would he really go to this extent to spite her? Whatever had gone wrong between them in the first place? And why ever did it even hurt so much? If only she knew…

* * *

 **A/N: So there ends the fourth chapter**! **I'm sorry if I'm leaving you on a bit of a cliffhanger, especially because this is a pretty late update** _ **and**_ **it's bit short, but I promise I'll try to post the next chapter quicker! I hope you enjoy this story, if not, I'll definitely try to improve in the next chapter! And um, this question might sound a little weird, but do you think it would be interesting to include Kamui in this? Heck, I'm the writer, and I know that you are thinking that I should know what's gonna happen next, but the thing is that I've got two alternative storylines, and I just can't decide between them. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think, after all, this story is dedicated to all of you, tee hee!**

 **By the way, I guess most of you were expecting fluffy humor, so I'm sorry if you're less than happy with the turn of events. But I just wanted to go out of my comfort zone and experiment with a little drama and misunderstanding, so I hope you'll not be too angry. Still, there's definitely a ton of fluff coming up when this is cleared, so don't worry about it!**

 **As usual, if there are any corrections regarding the story, like, errors I might have made in description, or factual mistakes, feel free to point them out, through a PM or a review! And questions regarding the characters and the settings are very much welcome too!**

 **A huge thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story! This time too please take some time out to review, your response totally makes my day! As ever, favorites, constructive criticism and anything else are very, very, much appreciated!**

 **Thank you very much for reading! See you in the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A Magical Rivalry**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Daslevfka: Hello there, thanks for reviewing! I totally agree with you, bullying is a really bad thing and I do feel bad for making Kagura go through it too. We'll be seeing a bit of how Sougo feels about too, but no spoilers! I'm glad you liked the scene about Nobume and her patronus, I loved it too! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Tsukitaiyoo: Thanks for reviewing! Ah no, I guess I really made Sougo look like a world class jerk here, but it isn't OOC for him, I guess. I wonder whether you'll like him or hate him after reading this chapter? And I really like the idea of turning him into a frog using magic too.. Well, enjoy this chapter!**

 **Brieanna-c: Hello there, thanks for reviewing! I know, Sougo is in the wrong this time, but well, let's see what the Prince of Planet Of Sadists is gonna do… I hope you enjoy reading this chapter too!**

 **Ardra Rajesh: You know, your review was the biggest surprise I've had in a month! Thanks so much for reviewing, I'm so, so happy that you liked it! Best of wishes from your friend, and I hope you can read this chapter when you get the time.**

 **ShiroNeko: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you don't mind the absence of fluff, I was quite worried about it, honestly. And yup, there just might be a lot more drama coming up, but no spoilers! And I'm glad you think Kamui's appearance may spice up stuff a bit, so we'll be seeing him soon! I hope this chapter is nice and long, and that I am not too late! enjoy reading!**

 **C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Hey there, thanks for reviewing! And yeah, Sougo's gonna be dead real soon, for more reasons than one, so it's fitting to bid goodbye to him, tee hee. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter too!**

 **Lia: Hey there, I missed you! It's real good to hear from you again! I'm so delighted that you liked this crazy AU, and that I could make you happy! Glad to know that you'd like to see Kamui, and yup, we're definitely going to meet him soon! Hope you enjoy reading this chapter as well!**

 **Hirude: Thank you so much for reviewing! Your appreciation really means a lot to me, and I promise I'll try to update even more regularly! I'm glad you like the story and the setting; actually, at the beginning, I just didn't know how I was even going to make a Gintama story in a Hogwarts AU work… But I guess, its turned out really well, tee hee. Well then, I'm rambling too… Hope you have fun reading this chapter too!**

 **Chantal027: Thanks for reviewing! I'm so relieved to know that I've improved well, because I'm actually not a very good judge of my own writing, tee hee. So thank you again for the advice and encouragement, and I hope I can keep it up! This time, I think the chapter's longer, so I hope you'll enjoy reading it, I also am sorry for those short chapters. And yup, we'll be seeing Kamui soon, so do stay tuned for that! And yeah, I know what you mean, I too was hoping for something like that in the manga, but now my first prayer is that they survive… Well, in any case, enjoy reading!**

 **Now, onto the story!**

* * *

Sougo winced as he rubbed the back of his head; it still hurt badly from the time Kagura had thrown him down the stairs. Well, taking everything into account, he _had_ been lucky to survive the morning. But now, stuck in a stark white hospital room, with nothing to do at all, even the prospect of getting beaten up by his rival beginning to seem appealing to him.

In the morning, after Nobume had dragged Kagura out, Sougo had headed straight to the hospital; partly as a precaution for his life and also because his head had begun to hurt terribly. The head nurse, Otose, had felt absolutely no sympathy for him, only giving him a thorough lecture for behaving irresponsibly, before confining him to bed for three hours.

After one of those three hours, Sougo finally perked up when he heard that he had a visitor. But it was someone he had never expected in his wildest guesses, which did go quite far.

Nobume's face was as deadpan as ever, as she pulled out her wand and pointed it at him, its tip dangerously close to his eyes. Sougo could feel himself shrinking from her expressionless glare, which actually conveyed a _lot_ of messages, none of them friendly.

"You. Are. Really. A. _Jerk."_

"Glad to know you think so highly of me."

" _ **Shut your mouth before I turn you into a frog and feed you to the Giant Squid."**_

"Well, are you here to kill me, threaten me or what?"

"That is the first sensible idea you have ever had. But since you are going to clean up the mess you've made, I can't kill you till then. **But if you do not take this seriously, you'll be** _ **wishing**_ **I sent you to the afterworld today."**

"Mess? What mess have I made?"

"Find out for yourself; I don't have time to waste with you."

Sougo stared after the girl as she strode out, wondering what she had meant. He frowned in puzzlement, trying to recall his most recent misdeeds. Taking China to his room? Well, she _had_ been enraged, but why would that classify as a mess? After all, there wasn't a minute in the day when she wasn't angry with him…. And he couldn't think of reasons for her to be upset, no, it was way more likely she was already plotting revenge on him. In fact, that was probably what she _would_ be doing… His thoughts were interrupted by voices outside his curtains, perhaps belonging to Ravenclaws. His ears pricked up as he caught his name, and he carefully leaned in to listen.

"Hey, have you heard the newest rumors? Apparently, that red haired girl from Gryffindor and that sadist from Slytherin are in a secret relationship!"

"Of course they are! I mean, she was sleeping in _his dorm room_ last night!"

"But seriously, who would have known? They are always quarreling and-"

"Fool, don't you realize that all that was just an act? But still, those guys from Slytherin did say that she was beating him up today…."

"Lovers tiff, of course. You know how violent that girl can get."

"Yeah, don't remind me! Heck, we were only pointing wands at Soyo… we didn't even cast a hex…."

"Um, shouldn't we go get the medicine? Otose san will be angry if she hears us…"

"I know, I know, let's just hurry up…."

Sougo paid no heed to the rest of their conversation as he sat frozen on the bed, his eyes wide in shock. He was still in that position when his curtains slid apart and Hijikata ducked in, the perpetual cigarette between his lips.

"Oi, brat, what's with that look? Did someone just hex ya or what?"

"Hijikata san, smoking is not allowed in the infirmary. And whatever are you doing here?"

"Zaki broke a leg during Quidditch practice, so I had to bring him here. Honestly though, I expected you to be more injured, considering how angry Tae is with you."

"You seem to be enjoying this."

"Only a sadist like _you_ can enjoy such a mess. Have you even _heard_ what people are talking about?"

Sougo did not reply to that, though his eyes clouded over and his hands were clenched into tight fists. Hijikata noticed, and took it as a 'yes'.

"Well then, if you have heard, you should probably be aware that it's your own mess. And don't give me excuses, that lazy silver perm told Tae about last night's detention. I know very well that you know our house's password, seeing as how you put Bulbadox pus in my bed recently…. And while I _am_ quite happy to see China or Tae or that doughnut girl or that blonde from Ravenclaw beat you up and teach you a lesson, somehow, I'd prefer that you became serious for once and cleaned up your mess yourself."

"You know, you're the second person to tell me that today, so it's completely unoriginal, Hijikata san."

"You'll be finding quite a lot of people telling you this soon enough. And you know they won't stop with just _saying."_ Hijikata got up to leave, pausing as Sougo asked him, eyes downcast,

"Why do you even bother anyway? "

"Well, I guess you can say that History of Magic is getting unbearably boring without you and China wrecking half the classroom."

"Aww, Hijikata san, you actually missed me? I'll make sure to send you to heaven soon…"

"I DID NOT MISS YOUR ATTEMPTS TO MURDER ME, YOU DEVIL!"

" **SHUT UP AND DON'T SHOUT IN THE INFIRMARY! AND WHY ARE YOU SMOKING?"**

Sougo listened amusedly as Otose began yelling at Hijikata, before slipping off the bed. He discovered that he could move just fine, though he was still a bit unsteady. But that barely bothered him as he grabbed his robes, dressed himself and coolly walked out of the sick room, certain that Otose would be too busy scolding Hijibaka to notice him leave.

* * *

But the moment he entered the main corridors, he began to regret it. Almost everyone stared at him, their whispering painfully audible. If only he knew how to use the Silencio charm on them… He focused his stare on a point on the opposite end of the corridor, trying to keep his expression as deadpan as possible. He really had no idea where he was heading, but he just continued walking. Though he paid absolutely no heed to his footsteps, for about fifteen minutes, he somehow managed to avoid colliding into anybody. But apparently there were people as absent minded as him, for Sougo was nearly knocked to the floor by a girl coming up the corner he was turning. The jerk was sufficient to knock him out of his trance like state, and he took a proper look at who had dared bump into the Prince of the planet of Sadists.

His eyes widened when he noticed it was a very familiar red haired girl, with huge azure eyes staring at him in consternation. Kagura still hadn't got up from the floor; colliding with the last person she wanted to meet at the moment had practically frozen her. A sudden hush fell in the corridor, as eager eyes began to observe every move of the duo.

For possibly the first time in his life, Sougo wasn't sure of what was to be said or done. As the Prince of Sadists, it would be fitting if he just turned and walked away, but then again, something within him just couldn't bear to leave her alone there, looking so brittle and unlike her usual self, who would've launched a string of colorful curses upon him, brandishing her wand or umbrella or bag or whatever she happened to be holding at the moment. Hesitatingly, he extended his hand to help her up, trying his level best to ignore all the soft 'ooohs ' echoing through the corridor.

* * *

Kagura felt her head begin to swirl with confusion. Why ever was the guy who put her in such a position in the first place, now helping her? Did he want to embarrass her further, by fuelling rumors about a secret relationship that had never even existed? But his eyes hardly looked like that; it was almost as if he was worried for her…..

The thought appeared so painfully laughable to Kagura then, that she pushed herself up, ignoring his hand, her expression steely with resolve. If the Sadist was playing with her feelings, then she wouldn't give a damn about hurting _his_ feelings. That is, she thought wryly, if he even had some. She did not look back as she walked past him without a word, even though, for a tiny moment, she was tempted to stop and yell at him like before and have a good long fight with him. But she didn't, even though it was one of the many things she had loved doing with him. Shaking her head at her wording of her thoughts, Kagura quickened her pace towards the library; it was about the only place where she didn't have to worry about hearing gossip or being stared at like she was an alien.

* * *

After spending nearly an hour rolling on his bed, trying to sleep and failing, Sougo gave up on the attempt and began to mull things over. He could almost see Kagura glaring at him, before walking away, Nobume warning him with the tip of her wand pressed to his throat, Hijikata advising him while trying not to look worried and many, so many nameless faces in the corridors, whispering, gazing…. He rubbed his head, bitterly regretting that one decision he had made out of laziness and a sadistic wish. But well, since the ministry would never let him time travel, he would just have to sort it out alone. He didn't really care what he had to do, all he wanted was to dispel each and every rumor, and most importantly, banish that look in his rival's eyes. If only she would revert to how she usually was, he would be happy. Even if she beat him to a pulp or turned him to pickled seaweed… well, perhaps he would not be very happy then. But still, he wanted to shatter what was upsetting her; in other words, he was going to have to put a rest to all gossip for once and for all. And well, he had a pretty good idea of how to go about it. However, it is an universal truth to be noted, that what seems like a good idea to a sadist is never one in reality. In fact, it may be one of the worst plans possible, probably because it _is_ proposed by a sadist, you know.

* * *

Sougo strolled into the Slytherin common room, making his way over to the largest group of girls, who were gathered around the fire, attempting to complete their homework. He put on his most charming smile as he approached Ane, the ringleader, who smiled back flirtatiously.

Taking her hand in his, despite the gasps of everyone watching, he asked her, "Will you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?" There was pin drop silence in the room as Ane, quickly hiding her surprise, agreed with a delicate nod of her head.

In the following uproar, no one noticed Nobume staring at the 'couple' with no expression in her eyes. _The day that bastard makes Kagura cry, he's going to a worse place than hell. But till then, you live, Okita Sougo._

The moment the shock had worn off, a new burst of gossip began.

"He asked Ane to go out with him!"

"Yeah, she's a better match for him than that Gryffindor brat!"

"Ane chan agreed real quick, didn't she?"

"Yeah, I'm sure they are attracted to each other! Figures, they are both so damn good looking…."

"Wait, do you think he's two timing with that China girl and Ane?!"

"Obviously not, fool! It's clear that he only likes Ane, look at how boldly he confessed to her!"

"Well, I guess we were _totally_ wrong about Sougo and that China girl…"

"Yeah… Gosh, can you imagine the looks on everyone's faces when they know?!"

"Oh, I can't wait till tomorrow morning!"

Now standing in the centre of the room with his new 'girlfriend', Sougo listened to them talk for the entire while, wearing a satisfied smirk on his face which contrasted oddly with the sadness misting in his eyes. It seemed that his plan had worked just fine.

* * *

 **A/N: So there ends the fifth chapter! I hope this is of a satisfactory length, and I'm sorry for posting a lot of short chapters recently. As to Kamui, a majority of people who reviewed said it would be interesting to see him, so we're gonna meet Gintama's no.1 psycho soon in the coming chapters!**

 **As always, if there are any corrections regarding the story, like, errors I might have made in description, or factual mistakes, feel free to point them out, through a PM or a review! And questions regarding the characters and the settings are very much welcome too!**

 **A huge thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story! This time too please take some time out to review, your response totally makes my day! As ever, favorites, constructive criticism and anything else are very, very, much appreciated!**

 **Thank you very much for reading! See you in the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A Magical Rivalry**

 **Chapter 6**

 **LibraCaelis: Hello there, thank you so much for reviewing! I'm really happy you liked it! And don't worry, all the misunderstanding will definitely be cleared up, though it might take a little time, considering how obstinate both of them are… But all's well that end's well, so don't fret! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Hey there, thanks for reviewing! Your lines always make me laugh, they are pretty funny! And yeah, that is what Nobume would do… Hope she doesn't implement all of them though.. Well, hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 **ShiroNeko: Thanks for reviewing! Sougo really is a huge idiot, isn't he? I wanted to facepalm myself when I wrote the last chapter, tee hee… Don't worry, we'll seeing the teachers in this chapter, after all, they would be pretty concerned too! And as to Kamui, there's a little surprise, but no spoilers! Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Lia: Thank you for reviewing! As to your question, Sougo will date Ane for a while, since he does have to keep up appearances… But no worries, we do know whom he really would like to go out with, ne? Hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 **Tsukitaiyoo: Thank you for reviewing! Hmm, about Sougo, well, he's someone you hate** _ **and**_ **love at the same time! Kagura will probably get a shock or explode or well, you'll have to read on, tee hee! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Madame Spectre: Hello there, thank you for reviewing! Yup, Sougo really is doing a huge mistake, but who's to knock that into his head? I'm sorry about all the drama and misunderstanding… But it'll all be cleared up, don't worry! And thanks for calling me Anu, by the way XD. Hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 **daslevfka: Thanks a lot for reviewing, I really wish one could give that lecture to Sougo directly…. I'm really glad that you like Nobume's characterization, I was pretty nervous about her becoming OOC. Hope you like this chapter too!**

 **With a deep apology for updating so late, let's now move on to the story!**

* * *

The next morning, Kagura took her time getting ready for the day; she wasn't particularly eager to face all the whispers that would inevitably follow her when she went down. But still, she didn't want Anego or Soyo chan or Nobutasu to get worried, so she eventually steeled herself and headed down to the Great Hall. Kagura could heat the strains of gossips and rumors floating about, but to her surprise, none of them were about her. No one glanced her way or ogled at her, even as she went to sit down at the Gryffindor Table beside Tae. For the first time in a few days, everyone's heads seemed to be turned at a person other than her.

Kagura felt as if the weight of the sky had been taken off her chest. She could at last breathe freely, without hiding from prying eyes and loose tongues. Her shoulders relaxed, and she practically bounced over to Tae. Such was her relief that she entirely failed to sense the murderous aura Tae and Nobume were emitting, or notice the worried expression on Soyo's face or hear Tsukuyo's kiseru snapping as she gripped it. In fact, she didn't even wonder why all her friends had come over to sit with her for breakfast, almost as if they were waiting for something disastrous to happen.

"Ne, Anego, everyone, good morning! Goodness, these eggs look so delicious, yup!"

"Kagura…. You seem to be really happy…."

"But of course I am, Soyo chan! The rumors about me have finally stopped, uh huh! You know, _no one_ stared at me while I came down today, and I'm so glad it's all over….."

"Kagura, yer gonna hear of this sooner or later, so I might just tell ya… tha rumors have stopped alright, but only cause they have something more delicious ta talk about, yanno."

"Huh? What do you mean, Tsukky?"

"Look over at tha Slytherin Table and ya'll understand."

Kagura looked startled at her senior's reply, though she tilted her head to glance at the thickest gaggle at the Slytherin Table in curiosity. Nobume tightened her grip on her fork as she saw her friend's face pale to a ghostly white, her eyes much too big for her face, her lips trembling. But Kagura soon regained control of herself and turned to her friends with a very bright and highly unconvincing grin.

"Is the Sadist now dating Ane, yes? I never even knew this before…"

"He asked her out last night. It became official only this morning." Nobume answered tonelessly, the fork in her hands already curving into a U-shape. Soyo enquired anxiously, "Ne, Kagura chan, are you…alright with it?"

"But why ever wouldn't I be, Soyo chan? It's not like I like the _jerk_ or anything, yes? He's free to do whatever he likes, uh huh." Despite the sunny expression on her face, a single teardrop rolled down her cheek, causing her to start in surprise. She jumped up, hurriedly excusing herself before fairly racing out of the Hall.

"Nobume chan, I wonder which is the most painful way to murder the bastard that made my little sister cry…"

"Tae san, please don't be so violent! After all, it may be that Okita san is doing all this _for_ Kagura chan! What if he actually likes her too? We've to think of something else!"

"Soyo chan, what sort of a retard would act like that… no, wait, it might as well be true, you never know what men consider a 'good' plan…"

"Otae san, that makes no difference to me. He made Kagura cry, and no amount of doughnuts is going to stop me from decapitating him."

"Nobume, as prefect of Ravenclaw, I forbid any such actions. But I do know what ya mean and I'd really love ta teach tha fool a lesson with kunai. But still, I think Soyo's right. We shouldn't go jumping ta conclusions without any real information."

"Information is it…. Otae san, let us then collect information."

Nobume and Tae rose up and marched out purposefully. Soyo clapped her hands enthusiastically, getting up herself as she said,

"I'll go along too, because it's really fun to watch how everyone reacts when Nobume chan and Tae san ask questions. Also, I think we might need to prevent fatalities too… what do you think, Tsukuyo san?"

"Yer right enough, Hime. Let's get going too."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the teachers' table, Gin was cowering under the dark glare of Hinowa, listening meekly as she scolded him.

"All this mess is entirely because of you, Gin san! If only you weren't so lazy to do your own work on time, the children wouldn't have stayed awake past _midnight,_ and Okita kun wouldn't have decided to take Kagura chan to his dorm room, and all these misunderstandings wouldn't have happened! I hope you _do_ have an idea of solving this, else…"

"How is all that my fault? It's Sofa kun's fault for taking Kagura to _his_ room instead of her own! Why are you blaming that on me, Hinowa?!"

Zura cleared his throat to intervene. "Ahem, my lady, we must admit that Gintoki is not entirely responsible for the situation. However, he did play a part in it, so he must make amends accordingly. However, Gintoki, aren't you ashamed of yourself, making your students do your paperwork?!"

"Oi, oi, Zura, cool down; everyone does it, you know? I'll tell you, I even made Mutsu do it for a month, and that too when she was prefect! That was a really close shave with death, ahahaha!"

"Sakamoto, are you seriously _proud_ of it?! And it's not Zura, its Katsura!"

" **Gentlemen, can you please stop arguing like first year children? I believe there was something important we were discussing…."**

"YES MA'AM!"

* * *

Standing in front of the mirror in the girls' toilet, Kagura surveyed her reflection. The girl in the mirror looked sort of upset, sort of confused and very much indecisive. Kagura hated feeling like that; she hated not knowing what she felt and what she wanted to do. The news about Sougo's girlfriend shouldn't have bothered her at all! What did she care, whether he had ten new girlfriends or twenty? It wasn't like they were ever friends or even rivals anymore, heck, she hadn't even talked or looked at him for about a week… or was it more? Well, if she didn't include the time they had bumped into each other…

A sudden voice outside the corridor made startled her, "Kagura, will you come over here and listen to me for a minute? Hurry up, though, I still haven't eaten parfaits yet, and I don't want all of them to be taken by Zura..."

"Gin chan…. What are you doing here? And, wait, this is the girls' toilet! You-"

"Of course I know where this is. Do you think I'm stupid? Now, do not contradict me, and listen quietly for once. About this spat between you and Sougo, blah blah, yes, I do know all about it; you think I'm deaf and blind? I don't know what Hinowa wanted me to do and I'm terrible at all this counseling or lecturing or whatever you teenagers call it, but I just want you to knock a few things into your head."

"Fine, but not more than three, uh huh."

"One, Sofa kun is an absolute idiot."

"I already know that, so why-"

"Don't complain when an elder is speaking… Two: Gin chan is in no way responsible for this, so don't blame Gin chan in front of your brother or bald dad."

"Hmmph, as if I'd tell them, they'd only mess everything up…"

"Three: Despite his inherent sadism and lack of common sense, Sougo kun really does care about you, it's just that he has a twisted way of showing it. So I'd advise you to stop thinking otherwise and paying attention to gossip, because it's all trash."

Winding up the last bit of his 'talk', Gin sighed as he watched the girl's eyes widen as if she could not believe what he had just told her, wondering why the hell youngsters today were so hard to deal with. Well, not that he could complain, he was pretty sure he and Zura and the others had been loads more trouble, but at least they hadn't required counseling! Wordlessly, he reached out his hand to lightly ruffle her hair, adding a last sentence, "Brat, believe what elders tell you. Especially when it's Gin chan saying it."

"Gin chan, you don't qualify as an adult, uh huh."

"Oi! I'm an adult, I tell you! Brat, you broke Gin san's heart! Do you think that you're more experienced than me?! You sure aren't, so accept it! Even if you don't, it's still the truth, yanno."

Kagura stuck her tongue out at her teacher as he turned to leave, though instead of rolling his eyes, Gin only smiled as he noticed her face was quite brighter than before, and while she still seemed a little puzzled, the hurt in her eyes had diminished greatly.

* * *

At the same time, many miles away from Hogwarts, a brown haired man found himself in a serious dilemma. On one hand lay his safety and on the other lay his conscience. Not to mention that there was never any guarantee of safety, considering the idiot he was accompanying. And he had had enough on his conscience already, he really didn't need any more. So he decided to do it.

"Um, boss, have you recently heard news of your younger sister at Hogwarts?"

"Huh? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden, Abuto? Anyways, she can take care of herself well enough. After all, she _is_ my imouto chan."

"Yes boss, that's true enough, but you see, the other day, I heard from Takechi, who heard it from Takasugi, who got it from his classmates at the school, that-" Abuto resignedly proceeded to narrate the most talked about incident at their old school to Kamui. He could really feel his lifespan shorten as the latter's eyes darkened, the broom in his hands began to crack and a crushing pressure began to build up around them. Finally, the words he had dreaded hearing most were spoken.

 **"Looks like we have to pay a visit at Hogwarts soon, Abuto."**

* * *

Soon enough, a sandy haired sadist surrounded by girls, felt a strong chill course down his back. He simply ignored it, thinking that it was probably Tae and Nobume listing ways to send him to the afterworld, or worse. But well, though the prospect of that was definitely terrifying, at least he had seen his China smile like usual at breakfast before the newest group of gossip mongers had practically jumped on him. Beside him, Ane was basking in the attention, her lips curved into a fake, coy smile. Sougo smiled too, but he didn't have to fake it. All he had to do was recall the way a particular red haired girl had bounced about at breakfast that morning . He shook his head at the thought. _Look at me, acting like the lead in a shoujo manga. And I'm supposed to be the prince of the planet of sadists… Damn you China, you really made me fall hard this time…_

* * *

 **A/N: So there ends the sixth chapter! I apologize again, for posting it so late, and moreover, because it's not that long, but I do hope I can make it up to all of you in the next chapter! It's going to be pretty interesting, with Kamui turning up and all, I hope I can do justice to it though. And um, I may be a little late next time too, though I'm trying my hardest not to… So please do bear with me…**

 **As always, if there are any corrections regarding the story, like, errors I might have made in description, or factual mistakes, feel free to point them out, through a PM or a review! And questions regarding the characters and the settings are very much welcome too!**

 **A huge thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story! This time too please take some time out to review, your response totally makes my day! As ever, favorites, constructive criticism and anything else are very, very, much appreciated!**

 **Thank you very much for reading! See you in the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A Magical Rivalry**

 **Chapter 7**

 **First and foremost, I beg all of your pardon for updating so late, I'm really, really sorry about it. I don't want to make excuses, but I just haven't had time after doing all the homework and going to classes and well, I guess I'm not the only one facing those problems…. But I do hope you will forgive me for this delay, and that you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Guest: Hello there, and thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I hope your exams went well, I have an exam myself next week XD. I'm really relieved that you like this story and I hope that this chapter meets your expectations! Don't worry, they will reconcile soon!**

 **ShiroNeko: Thank you for reviewing again! I'm really as excited as you as to Kamui's appearance and I do hope he can clear up the mess between Sougo and Kagura! Yeah, Kamui's not currently a student of Hogwarts, but he used to be one. And well, I don't think he's going to bother too much about any such rules, not when it involves his little sister… Hope you like this chapter too!**

 **Hirude: Hello there, thank you so much for your kind review! I'm happy that you liked reading this chapter, and I hope this one is also a good read, inspite of the terrible delay and all. Please enjoy reading!**

 **C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Hey there, thanks for reviewing again! Your review really made me go LOL as usual.. Yeah, Takasugi is a Slytherin too, it really fits him, doesn't it? And those three can never be called adults, can they? But hey, maybe the Ministry of Magic too had officers like them or maybe, there just wasn't anyone else…. Hope you enjoy reading this chapter too!**

 **Tsukitaiyoo: Hello there, thanks so much for reviewing! I know, Gin is probably one of the least likely persons to advise someone, given how he himself is, tee hee… Also, I'm glad to know that you're looking forward to seeing Kamui! Hope you like this chapter too!**

 **agirlworthfighting4: Cool username! And thank you so very much for reviewing! Yes, Kamui is in Slytherin, but he's not in Hogwarts anymore, since he left school in sixth year to travel around the world and all… and there sure is a lot of drama coming up, hope you enjoy reading this chapter!**

 **Now, onto the story!**

* * *

Nearly a week had passed since Sougo had gotten himself a new girlfriend, and most of the gossip about the incident had ceased. Classes went on as usual, and for once, the magnitude of weekly destruction too was drastically low, since the chief wreckers hadn't gotten into a fight even once; they hadn't even exchanged words with each other.

Well, Kagura sighed, as she headed out of Charms, it _was_ partly her fault, since she had just been too embarrassed to face the Sadist. She blushed as she remembered what Gintoki had told her, about Sougo really caring for her. Well okay, she too did like him, just a microscopic, little bit, but she just couldn't understand why would he even ask Ane out if he liked _her_? There was no way that he could like Ane, she wasn't at _all_ willing to believe that. Kagura pulled at her hair in exasperation, why , oh _why_ did the guy always have to act so mysteriously? Why couldn't he be straight forward, direct and open like her….

She froze in her tracks when she noticed the person occupying her thoughts standing alone by the open windows, looking at the sky. Her first instinct was to avoid him, but then, that would solve nothing. If she really wanted the misunderstanding to be cleared, she had to go talk to him. _Alright, girl, let's be open, direct and to the point… Don't blush, don't argue, don't even think of talking about the weather… Dear god, what would Mami say now, yes?_

"Hey, Sadist, what are you standing here for?"

"Not your business, China."

" **What** \- Oh, um… isn't the weather really fresh today, yes?"

"Did you really come here to discuss the weather? If so, just go away, you're annoying me."

" **Do you really want to make me lose my temper and throw you out of the window?!** Of course I didn't come to talk about the damned sky, uh huh! I wanted to ask you something, and you're going to give me an honest reply for once!"

"So go ahead and ask instead of shouting, idiot."

Kagura opened her mouth, but it was in vain, for the words just wouldn't come out. Perhaps it was because she was scared of the answer he might give, or the way she might react to it… But her curiosity being stronger than her nervousness, she asked, "Why are you dating Ane, Sadist?"

"Huh? What kind of a question is that? I'm dating her because I like her, obviously." _Looks like you might have to change my nickname to Liar now, China. Though why the hell do you even ask or care about that?_

"No you don't! Gin chan told me you don't! He told me that- that you well, care for, er, somebody else, uh huh!"

"Geez, China, do you have a speech defect or what? And seriously, don't you know better than to believe _Danna?" Oh, shit. I'm so going to kill you after this, Danna. How dare you tell her the truth and make this all the more difficult for me? Now I'm probably going to be hurting her all over again…._

"I believe him, and even Soyo chan said the same! So if you do, then you should have the guts to admit it, uh huh!"

"My, my, China, I think you just want to hear me say that I like you. You probably don't have the guts to accept that I like Ane, do you? Now, _you_ tell me, am I right? _Alright, that should make her real angry… I wonder if she will chuck me off the balcony, I can't believe I actually miss her doing that… But why aren't you already shouting at me, China?_

Kagura's face was now redder than her hair, and her hands were nervously playing with the edge of her scarf. She looked more upset than angry, and as if she was struggling to say something she wanted to say, but just couldn't.

"Are you trying to say you like me, China? But it doesn't seem like you have the courage to confess…"

" **SHUT THE HELL UP! WHAT EVER MADE YOU THINK I LIKE YOU? YOU'RE ANNOYING, STUPID, SADISTIC AND- "** Words failed Kagura as she stamped her foot in frustration, before running past him and heading straight down the nearest staircase. Sougo smirked bitterly after her vanishing back, whatever _had_ he been thinking of? There was no way she would ever like him…

* * *

Kagura ran blindly, dashing into the nearest empty classroom. She stamped her foot, punched the wall, threw her wand across the room, all the while cursing her total inability to express herself and a certain sadist's complete cluelessness. When she finally tired of it, she sank down into one of the chairs, burying her head in her hands, tiny tears leaking out of her eyes.

Unknown to Kagura, two wizards on broomsticks had been watching the drama play out for several minutes, hovering outside the window. A deadly black aura shrouded one of them, while the other seemed to have resigned himself to fate.

" **Abuto, that sadist just made my little sister cry. Just what should I do to make him pay for it…"**

"First of all, Captain, I think you should calm down….."

" **Calm down? Do you really think I can calm down?! Or do you just want to die?"**

"If you killed me, Captain, then who would you dump all the work on? But I don't think killing the brat will make your sister happy, because it's pretty obvious she likes him. Instead, why don't you, well, go and talk to her, you know, give her some, um, advice, like an elder brother would do?"

"I do know what an elder brother would do, but since when have I been good at that? Besides, Imouto chan definitely would not appreciate my advising her, not after all _I've_ done…Geez, isn't it a lot simpler and satisfactory to just murder that bastard?"

"Boss, if you do that, the little missy is going to kill _you._ Please just listen to me this one time and try to talk this out; even if you don't advise her, at least comfort her, there's no way she'll resent you for that!"

"Fine."

With that word, Kamui hurtled towards the window, shattering the glass as he flew through it unscathed, smiling as brightly as usual. Abuto followed, shaking his head at the thought of all the damages he would soon have to pay for.

The sound of the window shattering caused Kagura to start violently. When she saw who had just come in and was cheerfully waving at her, she was stunned speechless for a few seconds; the last person she had expected or wanted to see had just appeared out of nowhere…. Which though, was just the sort of thing he _would_ do.

"Huh? Big brother? What- whatever are you doing here?!"

"I came to visit you, of course! But you don't seem too happy to see me… that's not very nice, Imouto chan…"

"Whatever, just leave me alone, Kamui! I don't want to listen to you now!"

"My, my, you're really being very rude to me, Imouto chan, this really won't do…Or is there something wrong? If so, why don't you tell big brother about it…"

"There's nothing wrong with me! Moreover, Kamui, it's none of your business, so leave me alone!"

Kamui sighed soundlessly, his grin vanishing momentarily. He hated seeing his sister like this; it was always so much better when they fought with each other. Between them, fists talked so much better than just words… But he had a feeling that fighting would probably worsen the situation, not solve it. Well, it was indeed rare for him to feel like that…

What did Abuto just tell him? To give advice, wasn't it? Well, what should he tell his sister that would help her? Beat up the jerk? No, he could do that better himself when the time came. Confess to him without fear? _**Never.**_ He'd rather hex himself than tell his sister that. Besides, she had already sort of tried it and failed…. Date someone else? _**Never ever.**_ At least the sandy haired one was a fellow sadist…. Hell, who knew that advising someone was so difficult?! Maybe that lolicon travelling with Takasugi did deserve some esteem….

Kamui was almost about to give up when the 'perfect' idea occurred to him. He turned to Kagura, who was staring at him skeptically, her arms crossed, exclaiming, "I've got it!"

"Just what exactly have you got, Kamui?"

"The best advice for you! Even though you aren't telling me exactly what's wrong, I, as an awesome elder brother, have got just the perfect words of wisdom for you!"

"You and words of wisdom?! Kamui, are you sure you haven't hurt your head, yes?"

"Nope! Now, listen carefully…"

Kagura, despite her initial resolve to ignore her stupid older brother leaned in with curiosity.

"Just do whatever you want to do, Imouto chan!"

"What?!"

"See, isn't it wonderful advice?"

"No, it isn't, you idiot! Do what I want to do?! Well, I'll tell you, I want to punch the Sadist and drag him down ten flights of stairs and then make him say he likes me, and then tell him I might like him too! And then I want to go to Hogsmeade with him and eat sukonbu with Butterbeer and have a really violent argument with him! If that sort of craziness is what I freaking want to do, then what?!"

"Well, why don't you do it, Imouto chan? I can even lend you a hand in punching him…"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I JUST WANT TO CONFESS LIKE A NORMAL GIRL, WITHOUT BEING CALLED CRAZY! And there's no way anyone will define something like that as normal, yes?!"

"This is the first time I've heard you worry about normality….Mami would be very upset right now, yanno? If the guy likes you, then he had better like you for who you actually are, Yato instincts and all. There ain't no normal for us, but I'd say that how you are is just fine. And I'm ashamed of you; how could you let useless trash like those gossipers bother you? Have you totally forgotten whose children we are, idiot? So if all that is what you want to do, then do it! Weren't you the one who always said that the only way to make an idiot see sense was to beat it into them?"

Kagura stared at her brother in disbelief, her azure eyes as round as saucers and her mouth open in a big 'o'. She had never expected anyone to say all that to her, had never even dreamed that her _Baka niichan_ would be the one to say them. But her face slowly brightened up with happiness and resolve, when she realized how great his advice was. It was not only practical, but also simple and flexible! Much like a she used to do as a little girl, she gave her brother a huge hug, before rushing off impulsively.

Abuto, who had been watching from the sidelines, sighed in relief, smiling slightly at the surprised and pleased expression on his leader's face. Maybe he would finally get a salary rise this time….

* * *

Two floors below, Ane walked towards her 'boyfriend', smiling as coquettishly as ever. She hummed mildly as she noted his pale complexion and tightly pursed lips, wondering whether he and the red haired girl had had a run in again.

Well, she was not in the least jealous. In fact, the very thought appeared laughable to her. She was perfectly aware that the boy beside her barely cared for her, and that his heart was very much set on someone else. Well, she preferred it that way; it left no space for a messy breakup. Men came and went in her life, they were no more than fleeting amusements for her. The relationships she had were just an interesting way to relieve the monotony of classes or pawns to obtain what she desired. Her elders always told her that it was unbelievably callous, but what did she care? Wasn't almost everyone in the world like that, in one way or the other?

Sougo, now, he interested her. The desperate glint in his eyes when he asked her out was one of the reasons she had even agreed; she wanted to see just why he would do something so unlike his usual character. She had known the very next day at breakfast, when she had caught him gazing at the Gryffindor Table, at one laughing girl in particular. And since when did Tae have a monopoly on sadism? It was quite intriguing for her to observe the way he would try to avoid the China girl or sneak glances at her….. Her eyebrows went up when she observed the very same China girl marching up to Sougo, her fists clenched and her eyes flashing. As Kagura grabbed Sougo by the collar without further explanation and began dragging him down the stairs, she laughed, feeling impressed. If, God forbid, she ever fell in love, why, this was quite the thing she wanted to do. Now she could tell her sister a pretty good tale …

* * *

After dragging the hapless Sadist by the collar of his robes down two flights of stairs, Kagura finally reached the Potions classroom they always blew up and slammed the door shut on both of them. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the sadist, who was just about to speak, stopping him with a glare.

"Nuh uh, Sadist, I'm talking first this time. And if you want to complain about just now, then forget it, because you damned well deserved it! I'll say this just once, so… you're annoying, stupid, clueless and a thousand other sorts of idiotic, but you are one of the most significant people in the world to me, you make me feel weird when we are alone together, and, and I really do like you! Now, I admitted my feelings, so you had better do the same if you don't want to admit eternal defeat to me, uh huh."

"China…. Is that a challenge or a confession?"

"Are those two really that different for us, Sougo?"

"Ah, I guess not…. Well, since I'm not gonna say I like you, Kagura…So how about I show you?"

Kagura could only stand frozen in her spot as Sougo wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to kiss her, running his hands through her hair with surprising gentleness. As the astonishment wore off, Kagura laughed happily, lightly touching her nose to his, before kissing him again, breaking apart only when it became difficult to breathe.

* * *

Ten floors above the Potions classroom, Gin and the other teachers chuckled approvingly as they gazed into a crystal ball together. Even Kamui suppressed his desire to smash something to smile for his sister's joy. In the Great Hall, after Ane calmly informed Tae of the happenings, Nobume tucked in her wand and allowed Soyo to embrace her and spin her around, even dragging Tsukuyo with her. Hijikata blew out smoke from his cigarette, a quietly satisfied expression on his face, even as Kondo burst out into tears beside him.

That day, many smiles filled the huge Hogwarts building, the biggest one belonging to a red haired girl with lovely azure blue eyes, seated beside a sandy haired boy with joyful crimson eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: So there ends the seventh chapter and also this story! It's been awesome fun writing this story, and it makes me really sad to sign off here, but I guess I'm happy enough with this. Moreover, even though it's upsetting me, I just don't have the time to write as much as I want to, what with school and tuition and my parents quarreling the whole day. So I'll probably be taking a hiatus for a few months, but if you ever send me requests, I swear I'll do my best to write them well!**

 **As always, if there are any corrections regarding the story, like, errors I might have made in description, or factual mistakes, feel free to point them out, through a PM or a review! And questions regarding the characters and the settings are very much welcome too!**

 **A special thanks to ShiroNeko, Hirude, daslevfka, Madame Spectre, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, Tsukitaiyoo, agirlworthfighting4, LibraCaelis, Lia, Brieanna-c, Ardra Rajesh, chantal027, Readeren, anikkajen and all the anonymous Guests for their awesome reviews! I do hope you will review this last chapter too, it would mean the world to me! A ton of gratitude to everyone who favorited, followed and read this story, all of you are the ones that kept it going!**

 **I hope to see you all later in a new story someday, and best wishes to each and everyone of you!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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